City girl and serial non-dater, Affrica Clarke travels to Boulia, Australia, to investigate the environmental impacts of the local mining company. Unless she proves herself and wins that promotion, she’ll lose so much more than a pay rise. Yet everything goes wrong the moment she lands in the outback. With no research equipment, only skimpy clothes packed by her best friend to help her score a date, and a tight deadline to submit her report, she’s screwed. So when a sexy cowboy offers to play chauffeur, she’s all over it. But she’s there to shut down the mining activities, not fawn over the guy who’s supporting them, no matter how sizzling the attraction between them.

Billionaire jackaroo, Sam Preston tempts fate as an adrenaline junkie, living each day as if it were his last. Angry and wounded, he’s in town to sell his cattle ranch to the local mining company and be done with his past—until he meets hapless city-chick Affrica, who has no clue about surviving in the desert. Sam doesn’t know how to stop being a daredevil even though Affrica reminds him of the happiness he once had.

Can Sam let go of the past before he loses the one person who's finally breathed new life into him, or is it not possible to truly tame a jackaroo?

Affrica lounged on a wooden bench in the mechanic’s garage, fanning herself with the map and batting away flies. Sweat dripped at her nape, and each inhale of burning air stung her nostrils. Everything smelled stale.

Brian approached and handed her a can of fly repellent. “The buggers here have teeth.” He chuckled.

“Thanks.” After spraying herself, she reconsidered her decision to accept a ride in Sam’s car.

Yesterday, he’d turned her down when she’d pleaded to inspect the well on his property, and now he acted sheepishly, offering her a ride. Maybe she could use the situation in her favour? A grin spread her lips. Oh geez, I sound more like Meebe every day.

She shifted in her seat and her cheeks warmed. Maybe a little bit of humiliation wouldn’t kill her if it meant getting the promotion she needed so desperately.

Sam might be a hunk, but that didn’t make him safe. She remembered Trevor saying that Sam hadn’t been around for the past year. Where had he gone? What guy left his cattle station for such a long time? Probably more interested in spending his fortune than leaving it for his kids. The complete opposite of the kind of guy she imagined herself settling down with one day.

Fine dust particles outside the mechanic’s carport blew inside, whipping around her legs. Old oil containers, tires, a car seat, and half an engine littered the room. It resembled a typical garage, grease and thick layers of grime coating every object. She wouldn’t be surprised if the back of her white shorts turned black.

A faint clip-clop sounded in the distance, and she stared at the road where waves of heat distorted the houses. She imagined the simple lives of the residents of Boulia. Few people, and no traffic or pollution, if you excluded Brian’s garage. However, simplicity came at the cost of scorching heat, few job prospects, and no gourmet corner coffee shops. What she wouldn’t give for an iced caramel latte right now.

She checked her phone for the hundredth time. No message from the courier about her equipment.

Something snorted nearby and she jolted. At the garage opening stood a large chestnut horse. Sam sat atop the animal, and they were both backlit by the daylight. He dipped the front of his hat with his hand, wearing a confident grin. “At your service, miss.”

Sidney Valentine is an Aussie girl who loves everything about traveling. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and spends her time exploring the wild outdoors. But she always carries with her a writing pad in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. While she works in marketing during the day, she never stops writing her romance stories set in Australia as a way to rejuvenate from the bustle of the real world. She is often found at local coffee shops with her laptop, writing about people falling in love.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

But today I'm pleased to be hosted by WildMind Creative. They're a wonderful new resource for authors. Pop on over and learn a little more about me. I offer a little advice and try to be somewhat professional!

City girl and serial non-dater, Affrica Clarke travels to Boulia, Australia, to investigate the environmental impacts of the local mining company. Unless she proves herself and wins that promotion, she’ll lose so much more than a pay rise. Yet everything goes wrong the moment she lands in the outback. With no research equipment, only skimpy clothes packed by her best friend to help her score a date, and a tight deadline to submit her report, she’s screwed. So when a sexy cowboy offers to play chauffeur, she’s all over it. But she’s there to shut down the mining activities, not fawn over the guy who’s supporting them, no matter how sizzling the attraction between them.

Billionaire jackaroo, Sam Preston tempts fate as an adrenaline junkie, living each day as if it were his last. Angry and wounded, he’s in town to sell his cattle ranch to the local mining company and be done with his past—until he meets hapless city-chick Affrica, who has no clue about surviving in the desert. Sam doesn’t know how to stop being a daredevil even though Affrica reminds him of the happiness he once had.

Can Sam let go of the past before he loses the one person who's finally breathed new life into him, or is it not possible to truly tame a jackaroo?

Affrica
Clarke is determined to prove herself worthy of a full time position as
an environmental investigator and get the promotion she needs to keep
supporting her sick father. Flying to the Outback, she's left hanging as
her equipment goes to another destination and her bag is full of skimpy
clothes her roomie packed. That's not going to stop her, though, and
neither is the gorgeous billionaire jackaroo, Sam Preston. Wanting to
forget his past, Sam is planning on selling his cattle station to the
mining company Affrica is investigating. There's something about the
city gal that hooks him in a way no other woman has. Will she be able to
tame the wild cowboy or lose both him and her case?

This debut
romance novel from Sidney Valentine is as sizzling as the Australian
Outback. Affrica has a strong voice, fighting for a promotion and the
ability to support her father. Sam is a man blaming himself for what
happened to his younger brother and throwing himself into dangerous
stunts as he plays careless games with his life. The tension between
them is immediate and is kept taut all through the story. Not only are
the circumstances of why they're in Boulia pitted against one another,
but their inner struggles increase the turmoil. Yet their desire is off
the charts!

Along with top notch romance, the reader is whisked
away to little traveled places. Boulia is a charming town rich with a
rugged flavor. Even the Bed & Breakfast Affrica stays in is unique.
Huge cattle stations and deep caves. Then add in the little mystery of
the Min Min lights, we have a magnificent setting. Plus the perfect
place for a out of this world smoking hot first kiss!

I'll definitely be picking up more from Sidney Valentine in the future.

Sidney Valentine is an Aussie girl who loves everything about traveling. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and spends her time exploring the wild outdoors. But she always carries with her a writing pad in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. While she works in marketing during the day, she never stops writing her romance stories set in Australia as a way to rejuvenate from the bustle of the real world. She is often found at local coffee shops with her laptop, writing about people falling in love.

The wonderful Kyra Lennon and Clare Dugmore have teamed up again to bring us another amazing blog hop. With everything going on in the world today, we need to appreciate the little things that make us smile. Of course family and friends bring us joy, but don't neglect the little things.

Share today on social media what makes you smile. Your blog, Facebook, Twitter, wherever. You can use the #MilesofSmiles hashtag.

What a great way to start off a Monday!

Here are some little things that make me smile:

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Cheesy monster movies.

The smell of autumn leaves.

Hummingbirds stopping in front of my kitchen window to have a peek in.

The June IWSG Question: Did you ever say "I quit"? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?Oh writing, I can't quit you. *said in a really bad twangy accent*Yes, I've turned my back on the computer and threw up my arms. Sometimes in our writer's journey, everything seems against us. No sales, no reviews, no friendly comments. All doubt, frustration, and heartache. You feel like you're screaming into the abyss, and it's not even staring back at you.I couldn't quit even if I wanted to. Stories will always be forming in my head just like they have been all my life. I'd keep writing even if no one ever read my stories. Why? Because it is the essence of who I am, my very soul. I create, and it is through words which I do this.

Monday, June 5, 2017

This final book was 8,000 words longer than the others. A whole lot went on, and wow, as a pantser, I just kept surprising myself over and over. My muse is clever, though. It all made sense. She has a way of making things work even when I have no idea what she's doing.

I'm so excited to finally be finished. It was an exciting journey, but I'm eager to start something new.

Of course, there's revising, editing, formatting, and publishing these last three books left to do. Books will do that themselves, right? ... RIGHT?!!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

It had been a time when
the world needed legends, those years so long past now. Because there
was something else legends could offer, or so the Poet believed. He
didn't know quite what—ghouls were not skilled at imagination. Their
world was a concrete one, one of stone and flesh. Struggle and survival.
Survival predicated on others' deaths. Far in the future, when our sun
grows ever larger, scorching the earth. When seas become poisonous and
men are needed to guard the crypts from the scavengers of the dead. A
ghoul-poet will share stories of love and loss, death and resurrection.
Tombs is a beautifully written examination of the human condition of
life, love, and death, through the prism of a dystopian apocalypse.

My review:

In the distant future where land and seas are polluted, an eater of the dead searches old stories for legends. This ghoul-poet, rare among his kind, seeks to learn more than heroics. The times are dismal, needing something much more powerful. Sharing with us tales of love and loss, life and death, the poet examines the human condition on a planet that is heaving its last breaths.

This is a mesmerizing collection of short stories all set in our distant future where the sun is frying Earth and many humans left are ill or mutated. The Tombs is the place where people bring their dead, a massive walled cemetery and city. There are those that work and live in the Tombs, serving the dead and protecting them from ghouls. I was fascinated by this dystopian world, the various people and their cultures. Every story brings the reader deeper into the world, unveils something beautiful and horrifying. Those two things are twined intricately here as we dance with gothic tales of life and death.

My favorite stories include "The Beautiful Corpse" as I did wonder if Gombar was loved as much as he loved. "The Female Dead" with the embalmer who so loved that he did everything he could to protect a beauty's corpse from the ghouls. There were only a few survivors in "City on Fire" and one was a woman who made the final trek for the man she loved.

James is one of the writers who belong to the local critique group, S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface) which I attend every month. He has over 500 pieces of short fiction published, and I've learned so much about the art of short story writing from him. This collection of stories is my favorite from him yet.

Click, Read, Enjoy.

About Me

I'm a writer, blogger, and geek mom. I write paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I love a dark and gritty story. I have four degrees which don't help at all with motherhood, but make me a great Jeopardy player. Member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms.